The Manitoba Builds Green: Opportunities for transformational residential retrofits report was created by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in 2024.
This report investigates the potential to scale up a deep energy retrofit (DER) industry in Manitoba to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create good jobs, spur green industrial growth, and improve housing quality. The study draws on 15 interviews with labour, industry, policy, and finance experts engaged in the building sector in Manitoba, as well as a review of the latest research and case studies of DERs from across Canada and internationally.
Key findings relate to:
- reducing greenhouse gas emissions of Winnipeg’s residential housing stock in line with the
- goal of net-zero by 2050;
- making DERs widely accessible and affordable;
- minimizing costly expansion of electricity-generating capacity;
- spurring economic development through public leadership;
- creating sustainable jobs and reducing inequities;
- implementing policy changes to support DERs.
The report proposes a series of recommendations to advance an overall vision for a neighbourhood-level retrofit program with an accompanying industrial and workforce development strategy that could realize a truly just transition by transforming Manitoba into a leader in low-carbon buildings while creating sustainable jobs.
This report is a first attempt to draw together expertise on the institutions, policies, and funding mechanisms required to implement DERs in Manitoba at the scale required to achieve net-zero by 2050. Further development and trial-by-doing will be required to customize programs; however, there is no question that thousands of DERs are required to eliminate building sector emissions in Manitoba.